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The former Steck-Philbin Landfill on Old Northport Road in Kings Park is one of the eight blighted brownfields that the Suffolk County Landbank requested proposals for repurposing. Image from Suffolk County Landbank Corp.

The site of the former Steck-Philbin Landfill in Kings Park was slated to be repurposed this year as part of a countywide effort to eliminate blighted properties, as the Suffolk County Legislature approved a contract with Powercrush Inc. and Vision Associates LLC to develop on the land. However, another business that put in a proposal for the landfill site has criticized the deal and has called for an investigation of the operations of Suffolk County Landbank Corp. for development of public properties.

Shawn Nuzzo, president of Ecological Engineering of Long Island, said he believes Powercrush and Vision Associates “had neither the ability nor the good-faith intention to build a solar farm and that the Suffolk County Landbank was either willingly complicit or, at a minimum, completely inept during this process.”

In a letter and phone interview Nuzzo brought up the connections Powercrush has with donating to political campaigns — including two members of the Suffolk County Legislature — and said the current approved resolution that does not state the contract will include a solar farm on the property.

In January 2016, the county landbank, a not-for-profit entity that works with the county to redevelop tax-delinquent properties, issued a request for proposals to revitalize eight brownfields, including the landfill in Kings Park. About two months later Nuzzo’s company submitted a proposal for a 6-megawatt solar farm that he said could generate nearly 8 million kilowatt hours of solar electricity in its first year. He also said EELI would finance, build and operate the solar farm through a crowdfunding campaign, seeking small investments from everyday Suffolk County residents. The plan would be to sell 25,000 “solar shares” in the farm at $500 each. Some local officials threw their support behind Nuzzo, including state Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) and Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Valerie Cartright (D-Port Jefferson Station).

Out of the several proposals given to the county, the plan with Powercrush, a Kings Park company, was selected to move forward, with the same goal of reusing the site for solar farming. County Executive Steve Bellone (D) praised the plan as a turning point for dealing with blighted properties, and Amy Keyes, executive director of the county landbank, said in a past interview Powercrush was selected based on a number of qualifications, including design, impact and feasibility.

County Legislature Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory (D-Amityville) said the creation of the county landbank was his idea, and the process of selecting Powercrush and Vision was “completely fair.” He said claims that landbank operations are in need of an investigation are “not a credible argument.”

“We evaluated those proposals based on merit, [EELI] came up short,” Gregory said in a phone interview. “These were cases of not being able to say what you can do, but being able to do what you can say, and the strongest proposal with the best benefit to the taxpayer was Powercrush. Each proposal got a score sheet and they scored the highest.”

Nuzzo said he tried to see the winning proposal, to compare it to his own and see how his company could improve for the future, but he was unsuccessful.

“I can only speculate that the winning proposal was so inadequate and incomplete that the county is embarrassed to share it,” he said in a previous interview. “It’s a shame, because our proposal to build Long Island’s first community-owned solar farm could have been a landmark moment for Suffolk County. Instead what we got was politics as usual.”

Nuzzo said he also had an issue with the fact that the development may no longer be a solar farm. After the original resolution was passed by the Legislature, which included the intention of building a solar farm, an amended resolution was passed this past March that approved moving forward with the Powercrush and Vision contract without the language of it being a solar farm.

“If the selected bidder is unwilling or unable to develop the land in accordance with their proposal, then their bid should be voided,” Nuzzo said. “Powercrush and Vision Associates were awarded this parcel based on their plan to construct a 4-megawatt solar farm.”

Nuzzo said he’s concerned with the system as a whole.

“This is about how Suffolk County issues its contracts,” he said. “This is more of a condemnation of the system as a whole.”

However Sarah Lansdale, president of the county landbank, said a solar requirement was never a part of the original proposal from the county.

“There was nothing requiring the end use had to be a solar farm,” Lansdale said in a phone interview. “There was no foul play here. They proposed solar and if they didn’t win the contract with PSEG the redevelopment site still needs to be something acceptable to the community.”

Powercrush and Vision did lose their bid with PSEG Long Island for a power purchase agreement. However Mike Rosato, of Vision Associates, said a solar farm idea had not been scrapped.

“The original [proposal from the county] did not require a solar farm, but yes this might still be a solar project,” he said in a phone interview. “The whole idea of this project is to make something good for the community.”

Rosato said in a letter their proposal was chosen for many reasons including financial capacity to successfully implement the project and demonstrating the experience to successfully carry out the project; demonstrating the ability to start the remediation and redevelopment process within six months of tax deed transfer; and improving the environmental condition of the property.

“Although our solar partner lost its bid with PSEG Long Island, we clearly stated in our original proposal that in the event this were to happen we would work to identify another industrial end use that would be acceptable to the community and permitted by the [Town of Smithtown],” Rosato said. “Our intentions have always been to reuse the site for renewable energy and we will continue to pursue that objective.”

As for Nuzzo’s concerns with political ties, he pointed out Toby Carlson, owner of Powercrush, has donated to several political campaigns, including county Legislators Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga) and Steve Stern (D-Dix Hills). Trotta recused himself from the Legislature votes on this issue, and said he has repeatedly tried to convince Rosato not to invest in this property because of the extensive work required to make it functional.

“If the original [proposal from the county] had required solar I would be screaming and [Nuzzo] would be 100 percent right,” Trotta said in a phone interview. “But it didn’t, that’s just not true.”

Stern did not return any requests for comment.

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Steve Healy in front of the Three Village Historical Society’s headquarters in Setauket. Photo by Kevin Redding

By Heidi Sutton

The Three Village area, which consists of Setauket, Stony Brook and Old Field, is rich with history and picturesque beyond words, in part because of the work of the Three Village Historical Society. The society recently elected Steve Healy to serve as its president for the next two years. A retired FDNY lieutenant, photographer and full-time member of the Cain-Healy Team of Daniel Gale Sotheby’s International Reality, Healy lives with his wife Ann in a 1926 Dutch Colonial in Stony Brook Village. I recently had the opportunity to interview Healy about his new position.

Stephen Healy at the entrance of the Bayles-Swezey House, which serves as the Three Village Historical Society’s headquarters. Photo by Kevin Redding

Why did you decide to run for president?

I believe in the TVHS and what it does for our local community. We bring value to the Three Village community by educating them on local history. We run great events that people look forward to every year. We have new people move in year after year, and they look to groups like ours to explain the rich history and where things happened hundreds of years ago. Our events bring people together from all backgrounds.

What do you hope to accomplish in this position?

Good question — I like to keep my overall goals simple: Increase membership organically, rebuilding the Dominick-Crawford barn, grow our endowment, work with other local organizations and add some new events.

What do you bring to the table?

I have held many of the board positions over the years. I am also a macro-manager; I surround myself with talented people and let them run with ideas and events, this allows me to drive the society forward as a whole. I bring an MBA degree and a love of history. The MBA helps when dealing with local nonprofits; we are always looking for funding. I love older homes and have rebuilt several of them. The current board consists of some the most knowledgeable people in regards to local history. I plan on growing the society with their help. I am also a people person and treat everyone the same, from the secretary to the vice presidents. Everyone brings value.

Do you have a strong support system at the society?

Yes, it starts with our office staff. Without them things would come to a dead stop. The TVHS runs with an executive board, trustees, office staff, volunteers and our members. The board is solid and very rich in talented people. This is important for small nonprofits, which don’t have a director to oversee day-to-day operation. The board and membership volunteer many hours a week.

What are some of the types of things the historical society does?

The society educates people on local history through events, tours, lectures, exhibitions and Founders Day. We also have an education department dedicated to teaching children about history.

Our guided walking tours with our historian Bev Tyler are very popular and include Setauket’s Revolutionary History, Walk through History with Farmer & Spy Abraham Woodhull and The Wooden Ship Era. The 90-minute tours begin in April and run through November. We also have a lecture series at the Setauket Neighborhood House, Tea with a Spot of History at our TVHS History Center, Candlelight House Tours, the Spirits Tour, Culper Spy Day (on Sept. 16 this year) and Tri-Spy Tours were you can bike, hike or kayak through history of the Revolutionary War’s Culper Spy Ring.

What event are you looking forward to the most this year?

I would have to say the Candlelight House Tour and the Spirits Tour. The TVHS Candlelight House Tour takes an incredible amount of manpower and time to set up and run. The event shows four to six local homes and is our largest fundraiser. The Spirits Tour is a fun event where members dress-up in period clothes. This event takes place in our local cemeteries. We celebrate the past and the people who shaped the Three Villages.

What exhibits are on view at the TVHS?

Our Chicken Hill exhibit is located at TVHS headquarters and captures a community lost in time. This great exhibit is open Sundays 1 to 4 p.m. or by appointment with our curator Frank Turano or the TVHS archivist Karen Martin. We also have an exhibit titled SPIES, which explores the Culper Spy Ring which was centered in Setauket and how a group of Long Island Patriots helped George Washington win the war.

Tell us about the Crawford Barn.

The barn was left to the Village of Old Field years ago and it had no current use for it. We, on the other hand, were looking for a barn; so it was a perfect fit. It’s a large pre-Civil War barn that was in bad shape when we moved it. The society will repurpose and rebuild it on our property. We are currently in the planning department stage with the Town of Brookhaven. Most of the upstairs will be used for much needed storage of our archives. The downstairs will be used for exhibitions and local events, which will allow us to redesign the use of our current building. We also will use the larger space for our monthly meetings and maybe have some guest lectures there. We will display some our archives on the first floor as well.

What is special about the Three Village area?

This area is special because of the local history, which includes the Culper Spy Ring — an asset to George Washington during the revolution — the period homes, parks, beaches and having a great university (SBU) nearby. The other great aspect of the Three Village area is its local organizations — many of them work together to preserve and enrich this great area.

Why do you think is it so important to preserve our local history?

Many great people believe the past must be understood and studied to guide the present and the future. I feel it’s interesting to see how a handful of local patriots from Setauket helped win the Revolutionary War. We are witnessing local history being formed today with Avalon Park, the Reboli Center and The Jazz Loft. I walk my dogs Tanner and Jett, both rescues, at the park all the time. I see people enjoy it and many think it’s always been there.

Local history tells the true story of how it was a small idea that then grew into a larger one, and finally what you see today. Stony Brook Village was built decades ago the same way ­— small idea by a few people. The people who did these great things are different, separated by decades. History is the blueprint that shows us how, why and what they did. This is important and will guide us in the future to repeat history or learn from its mistakes.

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From left, Randi Shubin Dressner, CEO and president of Island Harvest; John Rooney, co-director, St. Edward’s Ministry Food Pantry; Donna Zaino, co-director, St. Edward’s Ministry Food Pantry; Russel Kendell, St. Edward’s volunteer; and Greg George, vice president of operations for quick casual and specialty concepts, Doherty Enterprises. Photo from Panera Bread

Panera Bread presented a check for $61,607 to Island Harvest, Long Island’s largest hunger relief organization, on April 5. The funds were collected from generous guests at register donation boxes throughout 2016 at all 33 Panera Bread locations on Long Island. In addition to the money raised from the coin collection, nearly 71,000 pounds of nonperishable food was donated in 2016.

Participating Panera Bread locations owned and operated by Doherty Enterprises included Bay Shore, Bellmore, Bohemia, Bridgehampton, Carle Place, East Meadow, East Northport, Farmingdale, Garden City, Glen Cove, Hauppauge, Hampton Bays, Hicksville, Huntington Station, Huntington Village, Island Park, Lake Grove, Lake Ronkonkoma, Lawrence, Little Neck, Massapequa, Mineola, New Hyde Park, North Babylon, Patchogue, Plainview, Port Jefferson, Riverhead, Rockville Centre, Selden, Syosset, Valley Stream and West Babylon.

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The historic Stony Brook Grist Mill (circa 1751), Harbor Road, Stony Brook Village will officially open for the season on April 22 from noon to 4 p.m. and will be open every weekend through October. Visitors will enjoy a demonstration by a miller dressed in period clothing who will grind corn into grain just as it has been done since 1751 as well as visit a charming country store. Admission is $2 for adults, $1 for children under 12. For more information, visit www.stonybrookvillage.com or call 631-751-2244.

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Kenneth Kaushansky speaks at the opening ceremony of the establishment. Photo by Kevin Redding

On April 18, Stony Brook Medicine officially extended its reach to residents in western Suffolk County, with a ribbon cutting for a new, state-of-the-art medical center that provides 30 specialty services under one roof.

Advanced Specialty Care in Commack, which opened to the public last month, serves as a “one-stop shopping” destination for the health care needs of patients no matter where they are located. The center itself sits near the Sunken Meadow Parkway, the Northern State Parkway and the Long Island Expressway.

The variety of specialties includes internal medicine, pediatrics, dermatology, urology, neurosurgery and radiology. A complete imaging center is on site to provide X-rays, mammograms, ultrasounds, bone densitometry, and CT and MRI scans. Stony Brook doctors, including primary and specialty care internists, gynecologists, orthopedists and surgeons of all kinds, make up the staff.

“But this facility is more than just a multi-specialty clinic,” Kenneth Kaushansky, M.D., senior vice president for health sciences and dean of Stony Brook University School of Medicine said, addressing a crowd of Stony Brook Medicine and university staff, elected officials and community members.

According to Kaushansky, one of the leaders behind the 120,000-square-foot center, patients who come to the center have easy access to “the power of Stony Brook medicine.”

“As part of Suffolk County’s only academic medical center,” he said “Advanced Specialty Care connects consumers to Stony Brook Medicine’s cutting-edge research, clinical trials and advanced technology. This is what truly distinguishes it from other physician practices in the area. You not only have access to Stony Brook primary care physicians and specialists, but also to the best ideas in medicine.”

He also said the Commack facility will soon be the new home of Stony Brook’s World Trade Center Health Program, a service that offers comprehensive, integrative health care for World Trade Center responders dealing with 9/11-related illnesses.

Samuel Stanley, M.D., Stony Brook University president, said the center signifies another Stony Brook step toward creating an aspiring, integrated health care network, focused on providing quality and value, for all of Long Island and beyond.

“Every day, we take ambitious ideas from the minds of our expert researchers who are working in medical laboratories, driven by their boundless curiosity, and bring those ideas to life at the patient’s bedside to continuously redefine health care in the 21st century,” Stanley said. “Through our leadership role in health care reform, we are driving forward with new initiatives to improve health, reduce costs and eliminate the unnecessary care for our patients.”

Among the elected officials in attendance were Suffolk County Legislators Kara Hahn (D-Setauket), Leslie Kennedy (R-Nesconset) and Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga); Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Valerie Cartright (D-Port Jefferson); and New York State Assemblymen Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Saint James) and Andy Raia (R-East Northport.)

Stanley said they were vital to what Stony Brook Medicine does, by helping with the budget and supporting Medicare and Medicaid for the state, among other important contributions.

Fitzpatrick and Raia presented an official New York State assembly citation to the center and its faculty.

“I just wanted to say thank you to Stony Brook for taking medicine to the next level by opening this beautiful facility here in Commack,” Fitzpatrick said. “Stony Brook is growing and is offering new services and treatment and wellness to people beyond just the Three Village area. Stony Brook represents excellence.”

Margaret McGovern, M.D., professor and chair of the department of pediatrics at the university’s School of Medicine and physician-in-chief at Stony Brook Children’s Hospital, said this is truly the “power of Stony Brook medicine, closer to you.”

“We’re extending the reach of Stony Brook Medicine,” she said, “offering medical expertise in a new and growing
market.”

She also commended Kaushansky for making the center possible.

“Ambitious ideas require exceptional leadership and imaginative solutions, and this project required both,” McGovern said. “I want to thank Ken Kaushansky, especially, for his vision and confidence in moving this project forward. By working together across traditional boundaries, we are achieving a new vision for the future of Stony Brook Medicine.”

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Ivan Albert, owner of Sweet ‘n’ Savory and Ralph’s Italian Ices & Ice Cream on Main Street in Port Jeff, says a group of unsupervised teenagers are disrupting business. Photo by Kevin Redding

Port Jefferson is a walkable, waterfront village that attracts members of its own community and neighboring ones regularly, especially when the weather improves and schools are closed. In theory it should be an optimal environment for business owners thirsty for more foot traffic on Main Street, but at least one is not enjoying the influx of customers.

Ivan Albert, owner of Sweet ‘n’ Savory and Ralph’s Italian Ices & Ice Cream on Main Street in Port Jeff, says a group of unsupervised teenagers are disrupting business. Photo by Kevin Redding

Ivan Albert is the owner of two shops on Main Street in Port Jefferson Village: Ralph’s Italian Ices & Ice Cream, and Sweet ‘n’ Savory, a café that specializes in gourmet crepes. He said throughout the course of the last year an ongoing situation has developed in the two stores involving a group of about 60 teenagers — Albert speculated in an interview at Ralph’s that most of the offenders are 14 or 15 years old — who use profanity, enter and exit the store repeatedly in large groups, are rude to employees and other customers, smoke from vaporizers within the stores, and even occasionally steal items or damage property.

“This year it has gotten really bad,” Albert, a Mount Sinai resident, said. “It just seems like the thing to do is for parents to just pull up and drop their kids off in Port Jeff and say ‘I’ll pick you up at 11 at night or midnight, have fun with your friends.’”

Albert said he has tried to approach the group nicely to convey his message that he believes their behavior is bad for business, but it hasn’t worked.

“They’re having fun with their friends, and I’m good with that, I was once young and having fun with your friends is great,” he said. “When a family comes in with young kids, or any family, looking to have a nice time, they don’t want to hear cursing. And then there’s fighting and throwing stuff and breaking stuff — it’s horrible.”

Albert said he repeatedly has called village code enforcement and the Suffolk County Police Department to complain and report issues. He said he believes the constables in the village “have their hands tied” and aren’t able to make any meaningful changes, and county police often take too long to respond to calls about teenagers causing a nuisance for businesses.

“Out of control — and business people can’t cope with rudeness, vulgarity and profanity,” Port Jefferson Village code chief Wally Tomaszewski said in a text message of the unsupervised teenagers walking the streets most nights that aren’t followed by school days. “My officers do all they can at night to try and control them.”

The SCPD did not respond to a request for comment in time for print.

“It deters people from coming. I feed my family with these businesses.”

— Ivan Albert

An employee at Sweet ‘n’ Savory, a 20-year-old Port Jefferson resident who asked to be identified only as Chris, said he doesn’t feel the kids present a tangible threat, but their presence is bad for business.

“They’re not really dangerous or a threat just because they are so young, they’re just obnoxious,” Chris said. “They light firecrackers outside of the doors, they harass the people that walk by them. It’s annoying for the business because customers don’t like it. They don’t want to be bothered, so some people are just like, ‘Well if this is how it is I’m not coming back here.’”

Albert said he’s gotten complaints from the parents of his employees, who tend to be in the 17- to 25-year-old range, about the environment their kids are forced to work in. He said his wife tried to spread the message to parents in the area by posting on Facebook about the problem last week, while many of the local schools were on spring break.

“I would just like to reach out as a mom above and before being anything else,” the post said. “There is an extremely large group of kids high school age that hang out around Main Street in Port Jeff. If you are allowing your sons and daughters to spend their free time roaming the streets there I would like to inform you about what goes on. They are totally disruptive, rude, obnoxious and out of control.”

Albert said the post was shared several times, and his plan is to record more incidents on his cellphone and post them on social media going forward in the hopes that parents might see it and lay down the law with their own children.

“The kids aren’t going to stop on their own. I need to bring awareness to the parent that’s dropping them off,” he said. “It deters people from coming. I feed my family with these businesses.”

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Councilwoman uses personal experience with skin cancer as motivation to spread awareness

Councilwoman Susan Berland stands with the free sunscreen dispenser now at Crab Meadow Beach in Northport. File photo from A.J. Carter

For one Huntington Town councilwoman, warning residents about the dangers of the sun isn’t just a work obligation — it’s personal.

Councilwoman Susan Berland (D) has been dealing with the effects of spending summers under the sun’s rays for nearly a decade, and it has motivated her to host “Melanoma Prevention: Avoiding the Dangers of Tanning,” an event open to the public Tuesday, April 25, at 7 p.m. at Town Hall, 100 Main St.

“I think it’s important for any parent whose kid wants to tan to learn spending too much time out in the sun is dangerous,” Berland said in a phone interview. “Hopefully this sways people from making bad decisions.”

Berland said she had her first run-in with skin cancer seven or eight years ago, when she discovered she had an irregular mole on her lower back that was precancerous. These moles, also known as dysplastic nevi, increase the risk of a patient developing melanoma in a mole elsewhere on the body.

“When I was in high school, I was one of the girls wearing Hawaiian Tropic [sunscreen] zero [SPF] and using tinfoil at the beach getting fried,” Berland said. “I did a lot of damage. Nobody knew, you just always thought you looked so much better with a tan.”

When she had kids, she said she was focused on making sure her children were protected with sunscreen, and would often “run out of steam,” by the time it got to her skin.

Berland, like many other people, learned of a “base tan,” a once-popular idea to get before vacations, where the thought was getting a starter level for a tan on your skin would help protect it from getting burnt when on tropical vacations. Many science and health organizations, including medical research group Mayo Clinic, have come out against base tans in recent years, saying they do not protect skin anymore than sunscreen and can actually cause more damage long term.

“I didn’t get fried anymore, and I really thought I was doing the right thing and getting a healthy tan,” Berland said. “Turns out there’s really no such thing as that.”

The councilwoman said she’s had six procedures so far — the most recent in March — to remove dangerous parts of her skin, and she goes for full-body checks every three months.

“I always hope to leave the doctor’s office as I came in but that hasn’t been the case yet,” she said. “The pain is just not worth it — it’s just not.”

In some cases she said skin abnormalities had to be removed with liquid nitrogen. “On a scale from one to 10, that’s about a seven, but in some cases I had to have the procedure on my lip and that is like a 50,” she said of the pain associated with the treatment. “And that is why I am doing this. People are not paying close enough attention. I am a total convert now, I lay under an umbrella at the beach and wear SPF 50.”

Berland said she hopes people will realize how serious skin protection is during the event, where Meghan Rothschild, a cancer survivor and spokesperson for the Melanoma Foundation of New England will be speaking about her fight against cancer and how to prevent melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer and the second most-common cancer in children, teens and young adults aged 15-29. New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman (D) will also be attending the event, and echoed the dangers of tanning.

“To many people, indoor tanning seems like a harmless activity — it’s not,” Schneiderman said. “Each session increases your risk of skin cancer and contributes to premature aging, eye damage, allergic reactions and more. There are many myths and misconceptions concerning the safety of tanning, many of them perpetrated by the indoor tanning salon industry. If you engage in indoor tanning or are thinking about it, it’s important to make sure you know the significant associated health risks.”

Berland said she would tell young children considering going to a tanning booth to get their tan out of a bottle.

“Spray tans or makeup, if you don’t like it you can wash it off and start again,” she said. “But in a booth there is nothing you can do to reverse the damage. It’s just not worth it. The pain you go through, the anxiety of wondering when the next spot will be found on your body. You’re playing Russian roulette with your body.”

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Shoreham-Wading River’s superintendent, Gerard Poole, speaks during an April 18 board of education meeting. Photo by Kevin Redding

After a grueling months-long search, Shoreham-Wading River school district has finally found a new superintendent.

Gerard Poole, who has served as Freeport School District’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction since 2013, was officially appointed at the top of Shoreham-Wading River’s April 18 board of education meeting.

He will be the district’s full-time superintendent, taking over for interim Neil Lederer, effective July 1.

An educator for more than 20 years, Poole, 50, started out as an elementary school teacher and instructional coach in the Riverhead Central School District and eventually landed an administrative position in Valley Stream school district before transferring to Freeport.

“It’s truly a privilege and an honor to have the chance to collaborate and build upon the successes of the school district.”

—Gerard Poole

Although Poole has been a lifelong resident of Mattituck, where he lives with his wife and two sons, he said it was an easy decision to apply for the Shoreham-Wading River position. He said he believes it’s one of the best districts on Long Island.

“It’s truly a privilege and an honor to have the chance to collaborate and build upon the successes of the school district,” Poole said during the meeting. “I’ve met many parents, teachers and administrators and [got] a warm welcome and sense of community from everyone.”

When he was interviewed back in February, he said it was clear he and the district saw eye to eye.

“I thought it was a great fit,” Poole said.

There are some key things for every superintendent to be successful, he explained.

“[The most important thing] is to be really open, accessible, forthright, collaborate with the community — to really find out exactly where we want to head, figure out the programs and what the student needs to really reach their full potential,” he said. “It’s not just really important for me to look at documents or student outcomes, but to really listen and hear from parents, staff and students, and work with the board to continue to come up with the great work that’s already in place here in Shoreham.”

Poole’s outlook falls directly in line with what parents in the district asked for.

Bob Freier and Joann Kaplan of District Wise Search Consultants were hired by the district in November not just to find a new superintendent, but to gauge the community on what kind of characteristics they should seek in finding a permanent replacement for previous full-time superintendent Steven Cohen, who retired last summer after holding the position for five years.

Kaplan said the group interviewed more than 30 prospective candidates and narrowed it down to Poole.

“One of the things that stood out for me was how do we become one of those special districts on Long Island? One way is to pick a leader that has a vision. For me, he had that vision.”

—John Zukowski

“It was very important for the superintendent to be a face in the community and be a part of the fiber of the school — not just somebody in the office but somebody who would become a part of the culture of Shoreham-Wading River,” Kaplan said. “We actively recruited [Poole] because he’s brought so many incredible things to Freeport. He met our goals and excelled.”

During his four years in Freeport, Poole focused on providing world-class opportunities for his students, believing that all of them should receive core foundational skills before graduating.

He partnered with local universities to implement a challenging curriculum to prepare students for college, which included elementary-level introduction to technology, advanced science research and expanding college credit opportunities.

Board president John Zukowski said Poole stood out above the rest of the candidates.

“He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the district — he knows the culture here,” Zukowski said. “He has a lot of enthusiasm and incredible ideas. One of the things that stood out for me was how do we become one of those special districts on Long Island? One way is to pick a leader that has a vision. For me, he had that vision.”

Zukowski ended the meeting by referring to Michelangelo, the Italian Renaissance artist, who for three straight years slaved away at a massive piece of marble deemed too defective by other sculptors to create something out of. Michelangelo eventually sculpted his renowned David statue out of that rock. When asked how he did it, the artist said, “I see the angels in the marble, and I carve until I set them free.”

“On those days in this job when you feel you are just pounding rocks,” Zukowski said to Poole, “I’m going to ask you to keep carving because we definitely have angels here that you can set free. On behalf of the board, welcome aboard … we look forward to working with you so we can develop the potential of every kid in this district.”

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Recreate Joseph Reboli’s ‘Beach’ painting like the sample above on April 26. Image courtesy of the Reboli Center

Looking for a fun night out? The Reboli Center for Art and History, 64 Main St., Stony Brook is hosting a painting party on Wednesday, April 26 from 7 to 9:30 p.m.

For a registration fee of $45 each participant will complete a painting in the style of Joseph Reboli. All supplies are included and no experience is necessary. As a special added attraction, Mora’s Wine of Setauket will be having a wine tasting for participants!

The instructors for the evening are Eileen Sanger and Linda Davison Mathues, who are friends in life and art. Both are award-winning, professional artists with representation in art galleries. Recognizing that there is a real interest in picking up a brush and painting in a fun social atmosphere, the two artists formed The Winey Painters. Eileen and Linda bring something unique to the painting party experience. Their projects always are carefully planned around a famous artist, at the Reboli Center that artist is Joseph Reboli. They delve into just what makes a particular artist paint in a unique style.

Artists, past and present, lived very interesting lives, and The Winey Painters combine art history with the painting. With the instructors’ many years of teaching experience, everyone leaves happy and sometimes amazed at their own hidden talent. So come join The Winey Painters and have a great time making your own Reboli masterpiece!

The Painting Party has a limited enrollment, so sign up early. To register, come to the Reboli Center or call 631-751-7707 during business hours, Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. or Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m.

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A little girl enjoys last year's SOUND-OFF event. Photo from Whaling Museum

The Whaling Museum & Education Center, 301 Main St., Cold Spring Harbor will be hosting its 2nd annual indoor-outdoor event, SOUND-OFF, to help protect the Long Island Sound on Sunday, April 23 from noon to 4 p.m., with activities for all ages including science experiments, water monitoring, a touch tank and more! Bring the whole family to spend a day in picturesque Cold Spring Harbor Village engaging with leaders in the field of conservation to learn how to protect our local waters.

A family attends last year’s SOUND-OFF event. Photo from Whaling Museum

Funded in part by a grant from Long Island Sound Futures Fund, The Whaling Museum will engage people who live and work in the communities surrounding the Sound to foster a new generation of advocates and caretakers. Since 2005, the Futures Fund has provided millions of dollars for hundreds of projects to protect and preserve this critical ecosystem, restoring valuable habitats and treating and cleaning polluted waters.

The Long Island Sound is an amazing natural resource providing economic and recreational benefits to millions of people while also providing habitat for more than 1,200 invertebrates, 170 species of fish and dozens of species of migratory birds.

The main objective of SOUND-OFF is to help visitors understand, protect and advocate for the Sound by promoting a greater awareness of people’s impacts on the Sound’s health, either directly or indirectly. Visitors will leave the event with a stronger understanding of our relationship with the Sound, including gaining knowledge to help monitor its water quality and wildlife inhabitants, and practical ways to contribute to a cleaner Sound.

A little boy touches a crab at last year’s event. File photo

“The Long Island Sound is an essential economic and environmental treasure in need of careful stewardship to protect its integrity,” said New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos.

“The museum’s major goal is to help visitors make informed decisions about our marine environment, and ultimately adopt behaviors to better protect it,” said Nomi Dayan, the museum’s executive director. “Taking place in the spring season, this event is poised to have an impact through the rest of the summer months as Long Islanders get ready to hit the beaches, spend time on boats, and fertilize their lawns,” she added.

Local conservation groups will be on-site to host workshops, conduct experiments and educate the public, including The Waterfront Center, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society, Friends of Wildlife and Jump In! Water Campaign. There will be environmental craft stations for children as well as a “Travel the Sound” passport to follow around the museum stations to help children decide on their own Pledge for the Sound.

Admission is free and includes all activities. Held rain or shine. For more information, call 631-367-3418 or visit www.cshwhalingmuseum.org.

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